The 4th Annual Symposium for
Effective Teaching and Learning
in the Sciences

August 20, 2024, Business & IT Building (UB) Mezzanine, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON

About The Event

About The Event

This day-long event focuses on effective teaching and learning in the sciences. Through a series of invited talks, educator presentations, panels, and networking opportunities, the Science Ed Symposium aims to bring together like-minded individuals with the goal of continuous improvement in education within the sciences.

Where

Business & IT Building (UB) Mezzanine
Ontario Tech University, Oshawa ON

When

Date Tuesday, August 20, 2024
9:00am - 4:00pm


Interested in Participating?

You're invited to submit proposals to speak at the Symposium, or attend and participate in discussion and networking.

Call for Presentations

We invite interested presenters to submit ideas for talks using the following Google Form. All talks related to Science Education will be considered, however the following topics are of interest to the organizing committee: Inclusive participation, Broadening participation, Assessment & Grading, Accessibility, Pedagogy, and Ethics & Social Justice.

Submit a Proposal

Deadline to Submit: Friday, July 19th

Register to Attend

We invite anyone interested in the discussion and improvement of Science Education to attend the Symposium. The wider the range of participation, the more interesting and lively the discussions will be. Please consider joining us, even if you are new to educational research, as it is a great way to learn more about how we can work together to improve our teaching.

Register to Attend

Deadline to Register: Friday, August 9th

Keynote and Invited Speakers

Enjoy invited talks by these amazing speakers!

Sharon Lauricella

Sharon Lauricella
Opening Keynote

Professor, Communication & Digital Media Studies

Andrea Kirkwood

Andrea Kirkwood
Panel Moderator

Professor, Biological Science

Eric Rapos

Eric Rapos
Closing Activity

Associate Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Event Schedule

Schedule of Events

Registration

Check in at the Registration Desk for Welcome Information

Welcome & Opening Address

A short welcome from the Symposium Organizers.

Sharon Lauricella

Opening Speaker Sharon Lauricella, Communication & Digital Media Studies

Your Students Should Be Interesting At Parties: Here's Why (and How to Help)

Coffee Break

Refreshments and Discussion

Invited Talks

11:15 AM - 11:30 AM: Mason Shipton - "Empowering the Future with Multilinguality and Language Diversity"

11:30 AM - 11:45 AM: Phuong Hanh Hoang - "EDI in CS Education"

11:45 AM - 12:00 PM: Janice Strap - "Integrating Practical Bioinformatics and Scientific Communication in Undergraduate Education"

Lunch

Enjoy delicious lunch while networking with other attendees.

Andrea Kirkwood

Panel Discussion Artificial Intelligence in Teaching Science

Panelists: Andrea Kirkwood (Moderator), Randy Fortier, Nelson Lafrenière, others to come...

Invited Talks

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM: Bob Bailey - "When was the Last Time you Wrote a Sentence that Wasn't a Shopping List?"

2:15 PM - 2:30 PM: Rupinder Brar - "Creating Flipped Classrooms in Large Multi-section Courses through the use of Custom Videos and an Interactive Social Learning Platform"

Coffee Break

Refreshments and Discussion

Eric Rapos

Closing Activity Eric Rapos, Associate Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Play as a Means of Introspective Design for Teaching

Symposium Closing and Sendoff

Closing announcements and parting words.

Event Venue

Join us at Ontario Tech

Business & IT Building (UB) Mezzanine, Ontario Tech University

This Mezzanine at Ontario Tech University provides for an open air space for discussion and socialization between sessions inside surrounding rooms. It is adjacent to the Science Building which is the hub of all things Science at Ontario Tech.

Organizing Committee

General Chair
Randy Fortier

Randy Fortier

Senior Teaching Professor, Computer Science
and Associate Dean, Faculty of Science

Program Committee
Nelson Lafrenière

Nelson Lafrenière

Associate Teaching Professor, Forensic Science

Logistics Chair and Program Committee
Michael Miljanovic

Michael Miljanovic

Assistant Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Web Chair and Program Committee
Eric Rapos

Eric Rapos

Associate Teaching Professor, Computer Science

Program Committee
Janice Strap

Janice Strap

Associate Professor, Biology